Chad Gravallese
I’m a husband and father first and always. And to provide for that family, I run a video marketing consulting firm that I founded in 2015. I’ve almost always been self-employed. I lasted only 4 months in a “normal” job after college because I quickly discovered the corruption and anti-family structure of the employee system.
I started doing freelance videography after quitting my employee job but of course struggled. I had no idea what I was doing. My freelance client soon offered me a full-time job because they needed a lot more video work. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse because this new job allowed me to work from home. So I quit and started my new work from home employee job.
I enjoyed not having to commute. I could see my wife more during breaks and even though I still had to work close to 40 hours, I was home most of the day. Sometimes I would go away to shoot videos.
I'll be honest with you, at first I really enjoyed the benefits of a corporate job, the consistent income, the paid vacations. But underneath all the "glamour" I still felt uneasy about it. I still didn’t have the income potential and flexibility that I really wanted even though I was working from home as an employee. In the long-run, incremental pay raises every year would not support my growing family because we didn’t want my wife to have to work. So I occasionally had thoughts of pursuing freelancing again but in my mind it was too risky at the time. Well, the choice was made for me.
5 months into that second job, the company I worked for had to make a big downsize and I got let go. I cycled through two employee jobs in 8 months. I was off to a great start! All of my job security was gone in an instant. And to make matters worse, I was 3 months away from my son being born. I started thinking, maybe it's less risky if I diversify my employment and so the thought of freelancing resurfaced. I then decided to start my own videography business. At that point, freelancing was just as risky as going after another employee job and in 2016 very few companies were allowing employees to work from home.
For the next 9 months I struggled. I really struggled. My lack of communication skills and sales skills is what really held me back. I knew how to edit videos but didn’t know how to sell. I was always shy growing up and my avoidance of people really made things even worse. I also didn't have a clue how to prioritize the most important elements of turning a creative hobby into a freelance business. I didn't have the right mindset or skillset to make it work. I sank into massive debt, had wildly inconsistent income, and suffered with anxiety.
So, I gave up on freelancing and went back to a salary job. The previous company that fired me, bounced back and wanted me full-time again. They approached me when I was desperate so it was a pretty easy decision. A year into that 3rd attempt at an employee job, I realized that freelancing was the only way I could be fully happy in my career. I had consistent income again but still felt insecure. And at any moment I could lose all my income again. So, after much debate, I quit my job and attempted freelancing a second time. This time though, I made a list of all my weaknesses that contributed to failure the first time. I literally had no education about freelancing when I first attempted it.
So I found mentors, read books, attended workshops, and listened to any podcasts I could find teaching me how to overcome those weaknesses until I had mastered the skills I was lacking. Within 3 months of restarting my freelance career, I was earning enough income to support my family, that was stable and predictable, while also having work-life balance, control over my time and very low stress. And throughout this whole process, I always put my family first. I never worked more than 30 hours per week because being a dad is my primary career. Now I work closer to 20-25 per week while still being able to grow my business. I’m finally here to stay. There’s no turning back.
I want to help freelancing dads who are struggling like I did. So that’s why Freelance Family Man was born.
We homeschool our kids for the same reason I freelance, to separate ourselves from a system that destroys families and leaves children completely unprepared for real life.
Contact me anytime so we can learn from each other!